Did a midnight kayak/canoe trip down the river with my cousin and a bunch of his friends. That was awesome! It was interesting piling 3 people per canoe though. Glad I had my own boat so I could just sit back and watch everything unfold.

I love mine and it is very stable in ruff water... This 12 footer is a little wide and it will slow you down. But that is good on the lakes and it is good for camping out of it.. my next kayak will be 15 or more feet and thin too. I want to go out to sea...

I love mine and it is very stable in ruff water... This 12 footer is a little wide and it will slow you down. But that is good on the lakes and it is good for camping out of it.. my next kayak will be 15 or more feet and thin too. I want to go out to sea...

I hear you on the bigger kayak. I will probably purchase something in that length realm as well.

Getting ready to do a little trip this weekend cleaning up the river with a bunch of people. Trying to figure out how in the world I am going to fit a bunch of trash on the kayak. I will be sure to post a few pics when I fill it up.

We had tons of bugs all over us. Luckily it was late March so no real infestation but plenty of spiders. The water was about 40* and we were 4hrs from a road so if we flipped we would of had hypothermia by the time we got to civilization. Not the smartest time to go kayaking with no gear.

yeah definitely not the smartest move. I am looking in to some type of dry suit so I can go out in the cooler weather.

Thank you. I love the Wilderness Systems kayaks. I was just about to buy the Pungo 125 but had a few things come up that made me drop down to a less expensive boat. It is a love hate relationship with my kayak. I have only had it since March and the piece that connect the seat to the bottom of the boat has already broken off, the bottom right below your knee has a concave dip in it. Have not even drug it over any rocks or sat it out in the sun! The place I bought it from is one of those factory second dealers so I have a feeling it is going to be a p.i.t.a. to do anything with warranty. Otherwise, I don't mind it too much. The seat thing is un-noticable so I dont mind that but the dip is a bit aggravating. Kinda wish I saved up the money again and bought the W.S.

yeah, I sold my pungo 120 early this Spring. I bought it in 2004 for $500 and sold for in 2011 $500. I kept very good care of it, but cannot believe how much they have gone up in the last few years. The same boat retails for over $900 now.
Granted their Phase 3 seating system is very comfortable & adjustable. The Perception not so much but I can easily get it up & in the truck. Plus porting it not as difficult for longer hikes down to the water. No way was I buying a little dolly thing to carry it down to the river lol.

this is a timely thread. I was just looking into the best option to carry my kayak on my new tacoma (double-cab, short bed). It's a 17-foot ocean kayak I built from a Chesapeake Light Craft kit. Yes, it's a monster. I'd previously used a Thule J-style rack mounted to the roof rack on my Subaru, but I don't have a roof rack on the Tacoma. I thought about installing the OEM rack which I like for it's ability to retract the cross members, but I don't think it's the best option. They don't look particularly robust. The rack on the subaru was fairly beefy, but the set up was a bit wonky with only about 3 feet between the cross members to attach near the center of the kayak (meaning, lots of overhang!). I'm thinking a ladder rack that fits into the bed rail system might be the way to go (see pic) though it would still overhang considerably. I like it because it's easy to remove. Anybody have any experience with a set-up like this? The one pictured below runs $400 from worktrucksusa.com and is designed to fit the taco rail system. It's alot for what will mostly be used for transporting a kayak, but it would have other uses (lumber, etc). I'm probably going to sell the J-racks, so if anyone's interested....

I will get to that point eventually!... baby steps... lol whitewater is certainly welcome!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simon's Mom

yeah, I sold my pungo 120 early this Spring. I bought it in 2004 for $500 and sold for in 2011 $500. I kept very good care of it, but cannot believe how much they have gone up in the last few years. The same boat retails for over $900 now.
Granted their Phase 3 seating system is very comfortable & adjustable. The Perception not so much but I can easily get it up & in the truck. Plus porting it not as difficult for longer hikes down to the water. No way was I buying a little dolly thing to carry it down to the river lol.

The prices on those kayaks are ridiculously expensive. I dont see how much different they are from the older ones either! I have thought about making one of those little dolly things because its often a pretty decent hike to the water from the parking lots but for right now, i throw the yak over my head and hope no one gets in my way

Quote:

Originally Posted by rosqeaux

the 'yak:

As for the rack, I would get a single yakima or thule cross bar and a pair of mounts and mount it above the front doors. That will give you the support and you can utilize your rack that is in the pic. I have seen that done quite a bit.

That yak is beautiful!!! I would be too afraid to take it on the river and run across some rocks.

As for the rack, I would get a single yakima or thule cross bar and a pair of mounts and mount it above the front doors. That will give you the support and you can utilize your rack that is in the pic. I have seen that done quite a bit.

That yak is beautiful!!! I would be too afraid to take it on the river and run across some rocks.

Thanks! It was a fun project to build. It's strictly an ocean/lake vessel. Trying to do any kind of rapids in it woud be a disaster. 17 feet means it glides smooth and quick but steers like a barge.

I dug up some past threads on the topic and found some other interesting (and cheaper) options. Another possibility would be to use 2 crossbars on the cab (OEM or aftermkt) to secure the front half and a single support made of 2x4s in the rear of the bed (sort of like a sawhorse) held secure with tie-downs attached to the bed rails. Others made full ladder-style racks that fit the bed from 2x4s in lieu of the manufactured version I previously showed. My only concern with that is it's a bulky thing to store when not in use (my garage space is limited)

Thanks! It was a fun project to build. It's strictly an ocean/lake vessel. Trying to do any kind of rapids in it woud be a disaster. 17 feet means it glides smooth and quick but steers like a barge.

I dug up some past threads on the topic and found some other interesting (and cheaper) options. Another possibility would be to use 2 crossbars on the cab (OEM or aftermkt) to secure the front half and a single support made of 2x4s in the rear of the bed (sort of like a sawhorse) held secure with tie-downs attached to the bed rails. Others made full ladder-style racks that fit the bed from 2x4s in lieu of the manufactured version I previously showed. My only concern with that is it's a bulky thing to store when not in use (my garage space is limited)

How long did that take to make? Must be a really skilled wood worker for that!

Just remembered another option for you....

ORS Racks Direct has those as well as some Dicks or something like that I am sure. I have seen those being used quite a bit around here. Easy to store too.

Ive been kayaking for a couple years now mostly flat water ans sea kayaking. I just went down to N.C. and had a chanche to get a lesson at the National White water center. I had a sick time and white water will be my new sport I'm looking into going up to Zoar in Mass and for some lessons in August.

How long did that take to make? Must be a really skilled wood worker for that!

Just remembered another option for you....

ORS Racks Direct has those as well as some Dicks or something like that I am sure. I have seen those being used quite a bit around here. Easy to store too.

My woodworking skills are decent, but you don't really need to be a master craftsman to build one of these (at least a basic one--you can get crazy with inlays and other stuff). You just need lots of patience. It's made from 3mm mahogany plywood then coated with a fiberglass shell (like a surfboard).

I think I've settled on the option pictured above, only using the retactable OEM racks up front since I like their design. Harbor Freight has a hitch support like the one pictured that can be flipped around and used as an extended bed support (for plywood sheets and the like). Good for me since I have a short bed.

I just recently quit smoking, and I really feel like I want to get involved in some kind of activity to keep myself busy / active. I think I'm going to go to a local lake or something to rent a kayak to see how I like it....looks like a lot of fun!

My woodworking skills are decent, but you don't really need to be a master craftsman to build one of these (at least a basic one--you can get crazy with inlays and other stuff). You just need lots of patience. It's made from 3mm mahogany plywood then coated with a fiberglass shell (like a surfboard).

I think I've settled on the option pictured above, only using the retactable OEM racks up front since I like their design. Harbor Freight has a hitch support like the one pictured that can be flipped around and used as an extended bed support (for plywood sheets and the like). Good for me since I have a short bed.

My buddy has one of the ones from harbor freight that you are talking about. It has saved him quite a few times and come in handy at home depot

Quote:

Originally Posted by MyToyTaco

I just recently quit smoking, and I really feel like I want to get involved in some kind of activity to keep myself busy / active. I think I'm going to go to a local lake or something to rent a kayak to see how I like it....looks like a lot of fun!

It is definitely a lot of fun. It keeps you in relatively good shape too. Just in the few months I have had my kayak, my arms have buffed out and my upper back has gotten a little more muscle. I have lost about 15 lbs so far as well which has been really nice.